Engineering
Why didn’t I think of that?
Thursday, March 27th, 2008It seems that this is your first visit. Would you like to subscribe? Enjoy your visit!As an engineer, I love it when someone solves a problem elegantly.
Take the motorcycle disk brake locks. The idea is simple: carry a padlock specifically designed to clamp around the brake disk on your motorcycle, thereby preventing someone […]
Sealed for Life - part two
Sunday, November 11th, 2007A while back I wrote about sealed-for-life bearings. Briefly, bearings that can be regreased will last forever with proper care, but will fail in about 25,000 miles or so without being regreased. Note that this 25,000 mile figure is significantly less that most new car warranties.
Sealed bearings will usually last 100,000 miles or […]
Why I love Bose
Saturday, November 3rd, 2007I purchased my first Bose product quite accidentally. It was the stereo system in my wife’s 1998 Audi A4. It sounds great. Having heard great things about the Bose Wave Radio, I bought one for my wife for Christmas a couple of years ago. Again, it sounds great.But . . […]
Omit needless parts
Monday, July 2nd, 2007
In 1918, Cornell University Professor William Strunk Jr. wrote a little book of rules of grammar for his college English class. That book is The Elements of Style, and it is still in use today. In this book, Strunk gives the following advice:
Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary […]
Excellent mechanical toy roundup
Sunday, July 1st, 2007Being an engineer, I find myself fascinated by mechanical toys. Particularly those toys which, while fun, also are instructive. At least to those with a will to learn.
First up, from Very Cool Things, an Edison-style phonograph kit. This kit lets you record onto a regular plastic cup, for up to […]
Engineering Overkill part 2: BMW door locks
Monday, October 2nd, 2006What can be improved on typical car door locks? After all, all they have to do is lock and unlock the car, either with a key, lock button, or remote.
Let’s look at the E32 BMW door locks and see what they added. Remember, these cars first came out in 1988.
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Why do I love my BMW? Engineering overkill.
Monday, October 2nd, 2006The picture to the right is a diagram of the E32 (1988-1994 7-series) BMWs’ windshield wiper assembly. What is not immediately apparent from this diagram is the level of attention given to the engineering of this seemingly mundane system.
To wit:
When in slow speed, the wipers will switch to delay mode when the car is […]
Maximum Efficiency
Tuesday, September 12th, 2006It seems to me that the best engine from an efficiency standpoint is a single-cylinder engine. Practical experience bears this out - my Suzuki Savage 650 (single cylinder) got 70 mpg, while my Yamaha Maxim 650 (four cylinder) gets 48. Less moving parts mean less friction. less friction means more of the […]
Sealed for life
Friday, August 11th, 2006How long does the average American who purchases a new car expect it to last before it needs major service?
100,000 miles? 150,000 miles?
I would be seriously upset if any NEW car that I purchased ended up in the shop with less than 100k on the clock.
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